It depends on where you use the car. If you have free parking everywhere, that is effectively a government subsidy of urban sprawl and traffic. More crowded places charge for parking. In San Francisco, parking downtown is like $20 per day. And that’s if you leave it in an attended lot. Feeding the meter is so annoying.
Also, there is time spent in traffic. And fossil fuels are just stupid bad to use, so your $4 per gallon assumption is another hidden subsidy. But these don’t affect your personal finances, so they’re fine to leave out.
Also, there is time spent in traffic. And fossil fuels are just stupid bad to use, so your $4 per gallon assumption is another hidden subsidy. But these don’t affect your personal finances, so they’re fine to leave out.